Carangiole (also known as Cartellate in Puglia) are a Christmas delight from my mother in law’s hometown Santa Croce Di Magliano in Molise and this is her recipe. Molise and Puglia are neighbouring regions in Southern Italy along the Adriatic Coast and my mother in law’s hometown is a stones throw from the border that separates Molise and Puglia. I am not sure why these Christmas delights are named differently - that’s something I’ll be asking Zia when we can get back home to Italy.

They are similar to a cannoli/crostoli only a little softer and more fluffy.

Scoll down for the recipe and head to out instagram page to watch how they are made via the ‘reel’.

The Little Italian School instagram

RICETTA - Recipe

2 eggs

2 tablespoons of sugar

50 gr softened butter

1/2 cup white wine

1 teaspoon of raising agent for cakes

Watch ‘reel’ over at our instagram page for the method (click on link below). NB Sunflower oil used for frying

The Little Italian School Instagram

Or scan the QR Code below to take you there -

Here is the amazing recipe for these super soft, light and fluffy ‘Graffe’ Napoletane. Hold on tight while your senses take a ride all the way to Italy and back with the first bite. The smell and taste of these scrumptious Italian donuts scream the local bar in Napoli ! Enjoy….

(and if you want to watch a snippet on my instagram reels click on the link - https://www.instagram.com/the_little_italian_school/)

INGREDIENTS-

Add all of the below ingredients (except the butter) in a bowl and knead all together until you get a soft, sticky but workable dough. You can do it in an electric dough mixer if you have one.

3 cups of flour

1 teaspoon dry yeast

2 eggs

Rind of 1 large lemon

Bustina of Vanillina (or a teaspoon of vanilla essence)

4 tablespoons of sugar

1/4 cup water (approx.) - add the water slowly until you get a sticky but workable dough.

50 gr room temperature butter

METHOD:

Once mixed, flour a board where you will now add the butter and knead again until it is all amalgamated. If you are using an electric dough needer, just add the butter and mix.

Try and form a nice smooth ball of dough, pop it back in the bowl and cover with a teat towel or glad wrap. Leave for 1-2 hours depending on the rooms temperature.

Once risen, take the ball of dough out of the container and onto a board that has been floured.

Cut the large ball into long strips to be able to join them at the ends to make the ring shape.

Once you have made the ring shapes, place them on a tray and let them rise for another hour or so. (depending on the temperature in the room)

Once risen a second time, fry them in some sunflower oil, roll them in some sugar, and take that sensory travel to southern Italy !

My kids asked me to make these Girelle di Cannella, so Sunday morning I woke up early to enjoy the beautiful quiet and have a little bake. I also popped a picture up on my instagram story and was asked by a lot of ‘dolci’ (sweet) lovers for the recipe so ‘eccola qui’ ! (here it is). The difference between these ones and the traditional ‘Cinnamon Scroll’ is that this one is an instant dough using self raising flour, and doesn’t need time to rise. The ‘Girelle’ turn out a little more like a biscotto rather than a soft doughy bun. Traditionally these are not Italian, but like many other recipes, we tweak things and make them the way we like them. It’s fun to be creative ‘in cucina’ (in the kitchen). Our family love these with the morning glass of ‘latte e caffe`’, and we always make enough to put a few aside for nonna and bisnonna (great-grandmother) to enjoy.

For the dough

-2 cups self raising flour

-90gr chilled salted butter

-2/3 cup milk

Knead and roll into a rectangular (as best you can) thin layer (about half cm thick). You can rest it for 10-15 minutes if you like. It will be a little easier to roll out if you do.

Make the filling

-melt 60gr butter

-1 & ½ tablespoons cinnamon

-1/3 cup sugar

Spread it all over the rectangle you just made, then roll the long side of the dough inwards and all the way to the other side so you end up with a log.

Slice roll into pieces about 2cm thick. 

Bake in oven 175 degrees until brown and cooked. (approx 20-30 minutes)

Icing

-1 cup icing sugar

-dash of milk (and stir through. If you prefer more runny then add more milk, less runny add more icing sugar)

I often wake early in the morning and love to bake when it's quiet and the kids are still asleep. I usually always make the same Ciambella al Limone, which the family love for 'la colazione' (breakfast), unless there is something in the fridge like ricotta, cream or yoghurt that may be close to it's use by date. If so, then I'll usually use 'un po` di fantasia' (a little imagination) and add something different to the ciambella. I hate waste, and this is such a great way to waste less. I often create our evening meals like this too, but that's another blog...

now back to la ciambella...

Another thing I find hard to do is follow methods. I find that if ever I have tried to read a method while cooking, the dish loses my attention and often lacks something. Since I was a young girl I have watched my mamma & nonna cook, and realised that preparing food is about using all of the senses, so if you put the recipe book down, you'll magically be able to connect to your dish through 'touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste' and your meal is sure to taste delicious! Give me the ingredients and I'll create the dish. Because cooking really is that simple, as long as you've been taught, or taught yourself, the basics. If it's too complicated, I don't care for it. Simple is key.

So this morning I woke up to check what may be going out of date in the fridge, and it was the good old plain greek style yoghurt. Here are the ingredients, step by step and quite roughly for you to recreate this really easy Ciambella with a twist:

You'll need...

a whisk and a bowl

3 eggs

12 tablespoons of sugar (or less if you prefer)

12 tablespoons of sunflower oil

3 tablespoons of plain greek style yoghurt

12 tablespoons of self raising flour

a handful of dates (or more if you like them)

a handful of walnuts (or more if you like them)

some vanilla (either from a pod, or essence or whatever you have or usually use)

** greese your tin and put the oven on to a moderate heat

Crack your eggs and add the sugar and whisk

add the yoghurt and whisk a little more

Add the sunflower oil, and then add your flour and vanilla and whisk again.
Then add the dates and walnuts and mix with a spoon gently at this stage.

Pop in the greased baking tin, then into the heated oven.

Bake until it's golden and smells delicious! Poke a knife in if you're unsure and if it comes out dry you're good to go. Serve with some thickened cream or with some breakfast caffe` e latte (milk and coffee)...

It's Almost Pasqua!

For every region it Italy, Easter comes with many different traditional recipes. In my papà's region, with 'Pasqua' come 'I Fiadoni Molisani', sweet or savoury. It is a recipe you'll need a load of eggs for! 'Le uova' (eggs) being symbolic of spring and abundance. 

Other names for 'i fiadoni' are 'casciatelle', 'sciarone' or 'fiarone'. Whatever you choose to call them, they are delicate and delicious, and pair beautifully with an aperitivo, or a simple glass vino rosso or bianco.

They are shaped like a mini calzone, and are filled with a tasty cheese & black pepper mixture, or you may prefer the sweet version which is filled with ricotta and choc chips or candied fruit. While cooking they puff out, like a balloon ready to burst. Each town has it's own variation of how to make these little traditional Easter morsels, but the one I'm going to share with you is my mother-in-laws savoury version. They are very easy to make and smell absolutely delicious while they are cooking. Enjoy!

La Ricetta 

Il Ripieno

Let's start with the filling....

500gr of grated pecorino cheese 

5 eggs

1 small sachet of yeast for sweets (lievito per dolci)

Black pepper (I put a few pinches but you can put more or less)

Nutmeg (a couple of pinches)

2 beaten eggs put aside to paint the tops of the fiadoni before they go into the oven which should be preheating at 180 - 200 degrees

Once mixed together it should look a similar to this. 

La Pasta

Now for the pastry...

500g of plain flour 00

4 eggs

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

1/2 sachet of yeast for sweets (lievito per i dolci)

Place everything in a bowl like so and mix into a messy ball

Knead away!

Make smaller balls to roll out with a rolling pin before putting them through the pasta machine

Work the dough through the pasta machine until you get to around number 6 or 7 on your machine 

Flap the pasta in half so it covers the filling and with your hand gently push around the edges of the filling. With a glass or cookie cutter, make a half moon shape.

Place them onto a tray, snip the top of the pastry with some scissors or poke with a fork, then paste them with the beaten egg before placing them in the oven.

Place them in the over until golden brown. They should puff up and some of the cheese will ooze out of the small hole you made in the pastry.

Buon appetito and Buona Pasqua!